The Plasmic Shell
by dragonwings948
Summary: What made the TARDIS develop telepathic capabilities? The Doctor has a little talk with his beloved time and space machine to find out in this mini 6th installment of my Doctor WhoToo series. Copyright to the BBC.
1. Chapter 1

Rose almost fell asleep just at the sight of her bed. With a yawn she crossed her room in a few long strides and let herself fall onto her mattress, the distinct comfort of home beckoning her to slumber. Though the TARDIS was her home as well, she had always felt safe and secure here.

The springs shifted again, and Rose lifted her eyes open just enough to see the Doctor lying casually on the other side of the bed, his arms crossed behind his head. A small smile lit up his features as he stared at the ceiling, his eyes wide open. Of course, he didn't even seem to be the least bit tired.

Rose closed her eyes again. In her mind she saw the weeping angels dissolving into dust, the Doctor looking on with a set jaw and hard eyes. It just wasn't right.

"I hope there aren't any weeping angels in this universe. Not too fond of them."

Rose jumped at his sudden voice, opening her eyes and remembering where she was. The Doctor looked at her with concern. "Too loud?" he asked in a whisper.

"No, just...thinking," she mumbled. She wondered what he was waiting around for. "Your old room is still empty, if you don't want to walk outside to the TARDIS."

He nodded. In the dark, his expression was hard to read. "Rose?" he asked in a subdued voice.

"Yeah?" she responded as a yawn.

The Doctor swallowed hard. "I'm sorry."

Rose sat up, trying to measure his countenance in the light she had. She scooted closer to him and looked up into his eyes. "For what?"

He wouldn't meet her gaze. "For not being more like him."

By _him, _Rose knew that he meant the other Doctor. And by that statement she knew that he knew what he had done was wrong. Though she couldn't see his eyes, she could imagine the sorrow and regret in them that would match his tone.

"I don't know what you stick around for, Rose," he continued in a low voice, looking at her, "but I'm glad you do."

Rose laid her hand on top of his. It was funny how it worked both ways; he felt unworthy to be with her, and she felt like nothing compared to him. But she knew her side was right. He was a genius and half alien, yet chose to travel with a small, insignificant human. _She _was the unworthy one.

With these thoughts running through her head, Rose opened her mouth to voice her opinion just as the door opened. Her mum began to tiptoe in, but stopped as her eyes rested on them.

"How did you get back so fast?" she asked, flipping on the light switch and making them all cringe in response.

"Doesn't take long to get to Scotland," said the Doctor quickly as he stood up beside the bed.

Rose wondered at his response for a few seconds, and then remembered; they had come back just a few minutes after they had left. Mum wouldn't even know they had been gone.

Distrust was clear Mum's expression. Hands on her hips, her gaze turned to Rose. "How are you feeling, sweetheart?" Her tone had turned much softer.

"Fine, mum." Now that her mum was here, a load of explanations would have to follow. All she wanted to do was sleep...

"Well, now that you're staying, I suppose you'll be wanting your old room back then, Doctor?" Her tone reflected how much she wished he was still in Scotland. Rose shook her head. When was Mum going to realize that it was her own fault that he had left?

The Doctor looked at Rose knowingly. They both knew that they wouldn't be around here for long.

Mum's eyebrows furrowed together; she had caught the glance. "Oh, don't tell me you two want to _share _a room now?"

"No, Mum," replied Rose in a rush, sliding off the bed to stand next to the Doctor. Leave it to her mum to come up with that conclusion. "It's just that...we're traveling again."

Her eyes widened, understanding. _"Traveling? _But-"

"The TARDIS is full grown now," the Doctor chimed in. "The modifications worked and everything's in good order."

Mum's gaze narrowed as her eyes shifted between the two of them. "You've already been about, haven't you?"

"Just a few places, mum. Nothing too dangerous."

The Doctor shot an ironic glance in her direction, as if to say, "Not too dangerous?"

Rose waited for an explosion to come from her Mum, but after a few moments she just sighed. "I can't do this at one thirty in the morning. You can have your room back, Doctor." She trained an icy glare on him, clearly a dismissal.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: First of all, I just want to say thank you so much to everyone who has followed/favorited me or any of my stories, written a review, or even just read them. I really appreciate it so much, and I'm glad you like the stories! :) I'm sorry I haven't been updating very consistently, I've been pretty busy but I'm going to try to pick it back up again. Here we go! **

The Doctor turned toward Rose and placed one hand on her arm. With his other hand he grasped hers, and then leaned forward to kiss her forehead for a few precious seconds.

Rose dared to glance sideways at her mum. She almost expected the Doctor's action to infuriate her, but instead her expression softened, and one corner of her mouth might have even twitched up in a smile.

Still, it was unlike the Doctor to do something like this with her mum, of all people, watching. When they were alone, things like this were a little more normal. Was he doing it for show, to try to get on her mum's good side?

But as he drew away, his expression was as sincere as ever, his eyes shining and a warm smile on his face. Without even opening his mouth, he was saying "I love you," and Rose almost forgot that her Mum was even there.

Without another word to her, the Doctor turned and grinned at her mum. "Good night, Jackie." And with that, he walked out the door.

Rose's heart was still racing. She wasn't used to this Doctor yet, or the way he made her feel. After his years of absence, she had almost forgotten the way his smile made her heart flutter, how a kiss made her feel like she was in another world...

Mum came to stand where the Doctor had been just moments earlier. Her hands on her hips, Mum looked at Rose in concern. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"'Course I am, mum," she mumbled, her thoughts still dwelling on the Doctor. "The Doctor's keeping me safe."

"That's just it." Mum looked at her seriously, capturing Rose's full attention. "Rose, I've seen him break your heart too many times, and I don't think I could watch him do it again. Already I want to-"

"Mum," said Rose calmly, cutting her off. "It's fine.. Everything's all worked out." She still expected doubt, but instead Mum nodded slowly.

"Well, he really loves you, I'll give you that."

Rose smiled, glad that her mum was understanding...at least for now. She yawned, sleep weighing down on her more than ever. Before she could say something in response, her mum spoke again.

"I'll let you sleep." She stepped forward and hugged Rose. "Please stay, Rose. I worry about you when you're traveling with him, and I don't like missing your life."

"We'll stay for a bit, Mum, but we have a new universe to explore. I can't just stay and live a normal life; you know that."

Her mum pulled away and looked at her with sad eyes. "I know."

"I'll be here in the morning. Good night."

"Good night, Rose." With one last morose gaze, Mum turned and walked out of the room quietly, shutting the door as she left.

Rose gratefully collapsed into her bed. With no more interruptions, she drifted off into a deep sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

The Doctor smiled as he rested his hand on the outside of the TARDIS. The smooth wood and dark blue paint was home to him, and he missed it every second he wasn't near. Many times he had felt so lost without his TARDIS, but it was a little different now. Rose now captured most of his affections and attention, since she had come first in this universe. He still loved the TARDIS with all his human heart, but being human made that love different than it had been when he was fully time lord.

Oh, human emotions were still so confusing.

Like the way his heart skipped a beat when Rose smiled at him. Or how his mind was in another world when they kissed. Speaking of that...

_"You _have some explaining to do," the Doctor said, patting the TARDIS before he pushed the doors open and entered inside.

"Can you talk to me now?" he wondered, looking over the controls. "There has to be some way..."

_The mainframe, _he thought to himself_. _"Ah, yes. Come on then, take me there. You know where I want to go." He strode out the door that normally led to the hallway, but instead placed him into a pure white room with nothing but a glowing blue pulse in the center of it.

"Here you are," he said, putting his hands in his pockets and approaching the orb of light.

_I knew you would find me again. _

_ I had to. My TARDIS doesn't talk to me every day. _It felt more natural to speak back in his head, feeling that their telepathic link was connected and strong.

The TARDIS laughed. _You mean your _old _TARDIS didn't talk to you every day. _I _can._

_ But how? _The Doctor ran through the process of putting his TARDIS together in his head. It had been so long ago, almost four years...

_Did you forget how you put me together so quickly? Well, I suppose you _did _forget about me for a couple years..._

_ I didn't forget about you. I just didn't want to remember. _A memory was pulled from his mind and played out in his head. It was Donna and the real Doctor, standing on Bad Wolf Bay.

"But if you shatter fry the plasmic shell..." Donna said, rattling off the modifications to grow a TARDIS faster.

"But if you do that, it only stabilizes... Oh..." he mumbled to himself, the pieces all coming together. _I didn't come to reset the plasma count for two years. That could have destroyed you. _

_ Or... _prodded the TARDIS.

_Or it could have overwhelmed your mainframe so much that it made you a living, breathing being, almost like a human._

_ I didn't quite get to that stage, but my mind is more active than your old TARDIS. The plasma came close to destroying me. I cried out for you, but you weren't there. _

The Doctor steeled his jaw and swallowed. _I'm sorry. I didn't even think..._

_ I know. You were consumed by grief. _She sighed. _How petty humans are. _

_ Oi!_

_ But it turned out for the best. Instead of destroying me, it enhanced my thought process and telepathic capabilities. _

_ A little more than I might have liked... _The Doctor thought of the moment when Rose had kissed him unexpectedly while they were in danger.

The TARDIS laughed. _Oh, don't be daft. You liked that. Besides, I can't create thoughts. I can only bring to mind those that are already in your head. _She giggled mischievously.

_It doesn't matter whether or not I liked it. Either one or both of us could have been touched by an angel. _

_ I had everything under control. In fact, I was saving you. Your noisy walking was attracting the attention of a weeping angel close by. It was the only way I could think of to hush you up for a minute. _

The Doctor huffed. _No little, 'Oh, you might want to stop walking now.'_

_ Maybe not the only way, but certainly the most fun. _

He groaned. _You can't just play around with us like that. _

_ You're right. I can't all the time. That was only because my heart was released from here by the angels. _

_ Which means... _The Doctor froze stiff.

_Oh, yes. I could do it right now, but don't worry, Doctor, I know you want to explore. Go ahead. I have many interesting rooms, some built from your memories.  
Is that good or bad?_

_ I'm not quite sure yet. But check your closet. I've left you something. _

The Doctor smiled. _Not like the other outfits you left, I hope. _

_ You'll see. Come see me again soon, Doctor, _she purred plaintively. _I get lonely sometimes. _

_ I know. I will. _

The Doctor walked out the door and found himself in his room. He remembered what the TARDIS had said about his closet and peered inside. Only one garment hung on the rack...

The Doctor smiled wide. "Oh yes."


End file.
